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00:04 In a study conducted by the Mines and Geosciences Bureau,
00:06 which was opened in the entire Metro Manila,
00:08 the flood prone area is considered highly susceptible to flooding in 400 barangays.
00:14 In Metro Manila, the main flood control project is the pumping station.
00:20 The design of these is from the canals, estuaries, and other waterways.
00:26 The water should be directed to the pumping stations before it is released to rivers like Pasig River,
00:32 Paranaque River, San Juan River, and until the water is completely released to Manila Bay.
00:38 In other parts of Metro Manila, the water is directed to Manggahan Floodway,
00:45 which will bring water to Laguna Dibay, which serves as a water reservoir.
00:51 In total, there are 52 pumping stations in Manila.
00:56 The question is, why despite the existence of these, the flood continues?
01:04 According to the urban planner, Paolo Alcazaren,
01:10 the waterways in Metro Manila are outdated.
01:14 The capacity of these is only 15 millimeters of flood water.
01:19 But the rainwater last Thursday reached 85 millimeters.
01:24 We really need to be equal in the level of development.
01:28 And we need to project the level of development, type of development, complexity,
01:33 the density of development, how many housing units in the condominium complex.
01:42 Before, the area was supported by 20 families, now it's 2000.
01:49 These are our waterways before.
01:52 They are clean and used for transport.
01:55 The movement of goods and people is by canal, like Venice.
02:01 Bernham said that our waterways are like the canals of Venice.
02:07 What happened? We poured our canals, the others filled them,
02:12 made it real estate, and our drainage system was lost.
02:17 Our other pumps are 30 years old, but they are still operational, maintained by the MDA.
02:26 But our old pumps, although operational,
02:30 we cannot ensure the efficiency of 100 percent because of old age.
02:37 So, we have scheduled to rehabilitate them.
02:42 The waterways are outdated, and there are still many obstructions.
02:47 First is the garbage dump.
02:50 One of our goals there is the part of the San Juan River in Calentong, Mandaluyong City.
02:58 Here in Ilog na Kalutang, all kinds of garbage that you can think of,
03:03 this is the literal garbage river.
03:06 The situation here is not far from the Estero de Magdalena in Santa Cruz, Manila.
03:11 Garbage is flowing through the Estero.
03:15 Of course, you will clean it now.
03:20 When you come back tomorrow, there will be a lot of garbage.
03:22 It will be repeated.
03:24 Another reason for the damage of the waterways
03:29 are the informal settlers living next to it.
03:33 If they need to go to the river, they can go there.
03:36 They can do it here, but the damage is in the Estero.
03:40 According to the law, there should be no infrastructure
03:45 or house on any waterway within 15 to 20 meters.
03:50 But it is clear that in other places in Manila, this is not followed.
03:56 It is not just the informal settlers who throw garbage,
04:00 even the formal settlers and the establishments throw garbage there
04:04 because there is no policing, no fines,
04:09 we don't have a carrot and stick for them,
04:12 and people have no sense of civic consciousness.
04:16 They throw garbage, they think that there is no repercussion, but there is.
04:23 At present, more than 100,000 families live in these so-called waterways
04:29 which are also considered as danger zones.
04:32 When it comes to pumping stations, like the one in Pasay, Navotas, and Manila,
04:42 garbage dumps are still a problem.
04:44 That is why the waterways are almost not moving.
04:48 Because our informal settlers are standing on the water.
04:52 It is not just in the eastment.
04:53 As a problem, their solid waste is directly and indiscriminately dumped in the creek itself.
05:04 Aside from the pumping stations,
05:08 one of the biggest flood control projects in Metro Manila is the Blumenthrift Flood Interceptor Project.
05:14 This is a catchment area that is adjacent to the floodwater in Quezon City and Manila.
05:21 But until now, it is still not finished.
05:24 The worst is the rain that fell last Thursday.
05:31 Most of the floods are in Quezon City and Manila.
05:35 Aside from the problems faced by flood control projects in Metro Manila,
05:45 another one that Alcazaren is talking about, which is the flood zone, is the overdevelopment in Manila.
05:50 The supply, drainage, and power needs to be proportioned to the intensity of development.
05:58 That is the lack.
06:00 Local authorities want the development to be more intensive
06:05 because that is the sign of improvement in their cities.
06:08 But there is a need for infrastructure to support them.
06:14 And if this is the only place where the development is improved,
06:18 the surrounding development will be the only one to suffer.
06:22 That's why you need coordination with adjoining LGUs and with the region.
06:27 But the water is coming in.
06:29 One of Alcazaren's suggestions is the use of so-called purview cement for the roads in Metro Manila.
06:38 So all of that water can go into the cistern or into the gravel bed.
06:46 Under the Metro Manila Flood Control Management Project,
06:49 the government of the Philippines will borrow 500 million dollars
06:54 from the World Bank and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank
06:57 for the construction of various projects to solve the flood problem.
07:02 Like the construction of a dam in the Upper Marikina River Catchment Area.
07:07 Improvement of urban drainage.
07:09 Modernization of Metro Manila pumping stations.
07:12 And improvement of flood forecasting.
07:14 All of the projects or programs that we will implement in Metro Manila
07:20 will be in accordance with the Flood Management Master Plan of Metro Manila.
07:25 The purpose of this project is to modernize the drainage area
07:30 in the priority flood prone areas of Metro Manila.
07:34 In the report released by the Commission on Audit for the MMDA last year,
07:38 from 2014 to 2016, the total project cost of flood control and sewage projects in the National Capital Region reached almost 800 million pesos.
07:50 And from 2014 to 2016, the total cost of flood control projects reached 168 million pesos
08:00 that were not completed within specific contract time and required completion.
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